Two Roads
by Kendubz
Summary: After her automail attachment surgery, Lan Fan awakes to find that the man she sacrificed her arm for has changed. Greedling/Lan Fan.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note - This is my first published fanfiction! Thank you for taking the time to read it. GreedLingFan is my OT3 :3**

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Two Roads

In the dead of the night, Lan Fan awoke blearily from a fitful sleep. The automail attachment surgery had gone well, but the intense pain had to be numbed by strong medication. A dull ache pulsed through her shoulder.

The drugs weakened her usually sharp senses to a point where it took a few long seconds to recognise the familiar shape perched on the end of the bed.  
"Young Master!" She cried as she bolted upright, voice hoarse.

"Hello there." The deep, masculine voice that replied was not his. The devilish smirk stretched across his face was not Ling's. Apprehension flashed clear across Lan Fan's unmasked features. The stranger's grin grew and he let out a quiet chuckle.

"I'm sorry, were you expecting someone else?" His eyes met hers. She looked away.

"What are you? Where is the Young Master? " She knew the answers, Alphonse had already explained what had happened. She just needed to hear him say them.

"The name's Greed, and the kid," He patted his chest almost proudly "Is right here." Lan Fan felt a flicker of hope pass through her. He was definitely still alive.

She scowled, still refusing to look at the imposter. "What do you want?" He broke out into a fit of laughter that sent shivers down her spine.

"What don't I want? I'm _Greed_!" He stood up and threw his arms out, grasping at the air. "I want everything! Money, power, women, sex, status, fame, all of the finer things in life." He spoke the words as if they were lines from a play, rehearsed time and time again. He let his arms drop to his sides and sat down closer to her. Too close. Lan Fan shrank back against the wall.

"I meant, why are you here?"She repeated.

For just a brief moment, the arrogant grin fell and a look of confusion marred his confident expression. Then, just as quickly as it vanished, the too-toothy smile was back again. "I like to make sure my possessions are in working order."

She turned and glared up into his crimson eyes. "I do not belong to you." She spat.

"You're his property, so now you're mine too."

Lan Fan's flesh hand balled into a fist. "You are not my master."

Greed just smiled. He took her automail hand into his. "I could be," He murmured. He ran his fingers up her automail arm. She couldn't feel it, she just watched, unable to move the limb. "You gave up your arm for him." Warm flesh traced cold steel. "But what does he give you? What do you gain?"

"When he becomes emperor, he will bring glory and honour to our clan."

He scoffed. "I asked you what _you_ gain. What does he sacrifice for you?" She was silent. He laughed. "I'll take that as nothing, then."

"I serve Young Master because I am a Royal Guard of the Yao clan. It is an honour. I expect nothing in return." She shifted back to try and remove his hand from her arm. He moved with her.

"It'd be nice though, hmm? A bit of recognition, a reward." The hand worked its way up to the tender flesh of her shoulder.

"It is not necessary."

He slid even closer, hip brushing against hers, and his other arm reached up to touch her cheek. Lan Fan struggled to bite down an involuntary blush. "I said nothing about necessity. You're human, you have to want something."

"Nothing that you could give." She twisted, attempting to remove herself from his grasp. Greed just lowered his hands to her hips and pulled her against him. She felt laughter rumble through his chest.

"Now, I don't know about that," He said, amusement clear in his voice. "I have a lot to offer."

Lan Fan pushed him away with all the strength she could muster in her single, tired arm. His grip remained firm. "Give Young Master his body back."

Greed sighed. "Hmph, you've got me there. No can do about that," He rubbed the spot where she hit him and smirked. "You're strong, even now. Ling doesn't appreciate that as much as he should."

"Strength is expected of me. I would be unfit to serve otherwise." She stated plainly.

Greed rolled his eyes. "It's all duty and purpose with you, huh. Just loosen up, will you?" He ran a hand up her side. "Relaxing won't kill you." Lan Fan flinched at the contact and tried to back away, but his grip was strong and her lethargic muscles refused to move. She bowed her head and looked away.  
A dark grin stretched across his features and he ran his lips over the soft skin of her throat. She closed her eyes. His low chuckle reverberated against her flesh. "I know what you want."

"No you do not." She replied, her voice quiet now. Laughter again.

"I'm _Greed_. I wrote the damned book on wanting. Don't tell me I don't know this stuff." His hands roamed across her back. "You want him, don't you? Ling, your master." His lips worked their way up to her ear. "But you can't have him, he's a king and you're just a pawn. And yet here he is."

Lan Fan slowly opened her eyes. "You are not him, Homunculus." She pried his hands away and turned her back on him. Greed shook his head and raked a hand through his hair.  
"I will never understand you humans. You've got everything you want right in front of you but you won't take it." He leant over her, kissed her cheek, then stood up and brushed the creases out of his coat. She didn't watch as he walked away. "I'll be back. See you later, Lan Fan."  
The door clicked shut, and he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Two Roads Chapter 2

Lan Fan ran through practised motions under the hot Rush Valley sun. In three months, she had managed to develop control over the major movements of her arm. Any kind of detailed movement of her hand and fingers was out of the question, but the kind mechanic who had let her stay at his family's home was stunned by her progress. That meeting with Greed had only strengthened her resolve to be at her master's side. He was still alive and fighting the beast (or so she hoped), so she must be ready for when he needs her again.

She threw the final kick of the morning's last kata, then walked over into the shade of the cliff face. The midday sun was harsh, and her limbs were slick with sweat. Her usual dark, heavy uniform had been abandoned in favour of lighter clothes; a thin t-shirt that barely covered her midriff and a pair of shorts. She was grateful for the seclusion of her chosen training field, as she felt somewhat exposed without the armour. She missed her mask.

Lan Fan was halfway through draining a bottle of water when she felt a sinister but familiar aura flow through her senses. A homunculus. There was no doubt in her mind as to which it was.

"Show yourself, Homunculus!" The bottle fell to the floor as she reached for her knives. Laughter echoed through the chasm.

"Oh but where's the fun in that, toots?" She scowled at the nickname. She cautiously paced over the open ground, watching for any signs of movement. "How have you been?" A dark shape silhoutted against the sun. He stood at the lip of the cliff wall, staring down at her.

"That is not your business." She replied. He made a noise of agreement.

"He's getting pretty worried though," Greed kicked a rock off the ledge. She watched as it shattered against the hard stone of the ravine floor.

"The Young Master need not concern himself with me." Her arms fell from the defensive stance she had assumed. She wasn't sure whether she actually saw him roll his eyes or whether it was just a trick of light.

"You try explaining that to him. He's very stubborn, you know." He took a few steps back from the edge, disappearing from her sight. Shock and fear coursed through her when suddenly he leapt from the top of the cliff. She rushed forwards as he plummeted to the ground. A resounding thud rolled through the gorge as he slammed into the earth.

"MASTER!" She cried as she dropped to her knees by his side. She pushed him onto his back and pulled him to her lap. Before she could assess the damage, red lightning shot across his skin, weaving it together and reconstructing his bones. Lan Fan watched, enthralled, as his body repaired itself. When the dust settled, she was staring down at Greed, who stared right back, smug and very much alive.

"Impressed? He would have died just then." He snaked an arm around her shoulders and grinned as he sat up. "I just saved his life, you owe me."

"Young Master would not have jumped."She removed the offending limb, stood up, and marched back to the shade. "Therefore I owe you nothing." Greed leered at her as she walked, gaze fixed on her legs.

"Mhm, sure thing. I've gotta say, I'm lovin' the get up. The kid tells me the guard uniform's normally a lot less... interesting." Lan Fan's face turned scarlet as she sat down on a rocky outcrop.

"B-be silent, homunculus." She reddened further, cursing her clumsy tongue. He laughed and shook his head as she picked the empty water bottle off the ground, fiddling with the lid.

"I do have a name, you know," He leant his face against his hand and drew patterns in the dirt with the other. "You should learn to use it."

"You are a homunculus, so I will address you as such" She stated matter-of-factly. He groaned.

"Come on, I don't call you 'human' all the time, do I, Lan Fan?" An unpleasant tingle crawled over her skin at the way he drawled her name, savouring the sound. Silence hung between them for a beat.

"This is the second time we have met. Even if you did, there hasn't been enough time to notice." She sighed quietly and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Why are you here this time?"

Greed hummed as he stood and slowly wandered in her direction, eyes roaming over the scenery. "Your little prince got lonely, told you earlier, he wants to see how you're doing."

"And as I said earlier, Young Master does not need to worry about me." Greed sighed theatrically and sat down in the dust near her feet.

"Oh but that's not going to stop him." He frowned and shifted uncomfortably then paused, appearing to be deep in thought. He grumbled and pulled a medium sized package out from the inside of his coat. "Hey, he wants you to have this."

She took it and carefully peeled away the paper. Her mask stared up at her. She stifled a gasp and gently ran her fingers across its smooth surface. It wasn't perfect, there were a number scratches in the shaky paintwork, and the edges were uneven, but she didn't care. She had her mask back, the symbol of who she was. Her uniform was plain and undistinctive, designed for practicality. Every Yao clan guard wore the same uniform. It was their masks that set them apart, each design unique and belonging to solely them. He'd returned her identity to her.

Greed noticed her surprise and moved up to sit next to her on the rock. "He made it himself, he says sorry for any mistakes," She started to say thank you but he held up his hand. "Don't thank me, it wasn't my idea. I think our little chat affected him," He grinned and ruffled her hair. "So there, for cutting off your arm, you get a mask. Generous guy, your prince." She glared at him.

"I have told you that I do not expect any reward. I serve my master out of-"

"Yeah, yeah, honour and duty and all that. Geez woman, I've only spoken to you twice and I'll already know what you're gonna say!" He let out an exaggerated sigh. "You really are no fun at all."

Lan Fan softly placed her mask on the rock and rewrapped it, then she stood up and walked out into the harsh sunlight again. She threw a glance at him over her shoulder before settling into a defensive stance. "I must continue my training. You can leave now Homunculus." She felt uncomfortable saying such a thing to Ling's face, especially considering what he had just done. Greed scowled and folded his arms over his chest. He strutted towards her, kicking up little clouds of dust as he went.

"Hmph, that's no way to be grateful. I came all this way just for you." He grabbed her automail arm and winced at the blisteringly hot steel. "How's this thing going?" She tore it from his grasp.

"It is not your concern. Leave." She turned away from him and fell back into her routine. He stepped back, content to watch her fluid motions, her muscles as they shifted under her skin, her hips as they arched into another graceful kick.

"_Stop it, Greed. I do know what you're thinking. I thought you were the 'avaricious one', not Lust_." Ling's voice echoed in his head. Greed flashed him a sly smile and backed away from her, retreating to the shade.

"It's just a different kind of greed. Besides, it's not like you don't want her. And don't try to deny it kid, this thoughts thing works both ways." He picked his coat up out of the sand.

"_Not everyone is as greedy as you_," said Ling. Greed snorted as he batted dust from the fabric.

"Oh of course not, but you'd be surprised how close certain people come." Ling didn't reply, instead hung his head in shame. The homunculus let his gaze linger on the bundle of paper containing the mask for a brief moment before he turned and left. Lan Fan didn't spare him a glance as she heard the fading echo of his footsteps as he walked away.


End file.
